Police continue to investigate Juan Cantina fire

Huntsville Forester

A parent was sent off with a warning by the West Parry Sound OPP after she was caught transporting her five-year-old in the front seat of her vehicle without a booster seat.
On September 26 at 3:25 p.m. a concerned Parry Sound teacher contacted police after seeing the child buckled into the front seat. OPP investigated and officer discretion was exercised. The offending parent was advised if there were further violations, enforcement action would be taken. Community services officer Charles Ostrom urges the motoring public to take every precaution necessary to ensure that children are properly restrained in the appropriate infant/child booster seat when being transported.
It is an offense to transport a child who is required to be in an infant/child booster seat in a front, active airbag equipped position in a vehicle.
That was one of 145 calls for service the West Parry Sound OPP responded to between September 26 and October 2. Others included, six thefts, three charges under the liquor license act, seven motor vehicle collisions, two suspicious persons, two suspicious vehicles and nine calls to 911.

Stumbling, slurred walker

At 8:48 p.m. on September 27, police were conducting a general patrol within the Town of Parry Sound when an officer saw a man stumbling along the sidewalk on Seguin Street. Officers approached the man and saw physical signs of alcohol impairment and detected the odor of alcohol on his breath. The man was verbally identified, his speech slurred as he explained where he was headed.
Police arrested Steve Moro, 58, of McDougall Township, for being intoxicated in a public place. Due to his inability to care for himself and for his safety, he was held in custody at the West Parry Sound detachment until sober.

15-year licence suspension

Members of the Still River and West Parry Sound OPP made the roads a little safer on September 28 when they took a suspended driver off the road. At 3:37 p.m. police pulled over the blue, 2012 Chrysler 2LM travelling 40 kilometres over the posted 100 km/hr speed limit on Highway 400 in McDougall Township.
The vehicle was stopped and a demand for the driver’s license made. The man said he did not have his wallet with him, nor did he have a driver’s licence, as it was suspended. Through the Ministry of Transportation database police confirmed the driver was in fact presently under two suspensions, one dating more than 15 years ago. Richard Hogan, 42, of Sudbury, was charged with speeding, driving under suspension, driving a motor vehicle with no licence, and driving while disqualified, which is a Criminal Code offense. The vehicle was impounded for seven days and towed from the scene. Arrangements were made for the driver and two passengers to return to Sudbury by cab.

Party all night long

On September 29 at 7:36 a.m. police responded to a noise complaint in an apartment complex on Bowes Street in Parry Sound. Information provided said that music had been blaring all night and was “still going strong.”
The offending tenant was warned regarding noise and the matter was forwarded to the Parry Sound bylaw department for follow up.
On September 30, OPP responded to four calls to 911. Three calls were non-emergency calls; two being pocket dials and one was a child playing on a pay phone at the Bobby Orr Community Centre. The first three calls were between 10:28 and 11:56 a.m. and required the involvement of the same officer for all three calls, as per OPP policy. The fourth and final call, at 5:01 p.m., was for an ambulance and did not require police involvement.

Arson

Police are continuing to investigate a fire that broke out at Juan’s Cantina on Great North Road in Parry Sound on October 1. At 8:52 p.m. a dozen members of the OPP, including detective scenes of crime officer, media relations officer and frontline members were involved. There were no injuries as a result of the fire and no surrounding businesses were affected. The Ontario Fire Marshall’s office was called and the scene secured by officers through the night, pending the Fire Marshall’s arrival. Union Gas attended to shut off a gas line and the Parry Sound Fire Department assisted, extinguishing the fire.
Police advise that the fire is believed to have been deliberately set and deemed arson.
Anyone with information that may assist in identifying suspects in solving this crime, are asked to contact West Parry Sound detective Ronald Marshall at 1-888-310-1122 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.

Suspicious vehicle

A concerned citizen called police at 12:48 p.m. on October 2 regarding a suspicious vehicle parked along the side of Highway 520 in Whitestone Township. The complainant advised that there were personal belongings in the vehicle and it had been parked there for five days.
The caller was concerned for the wellbeing of the owner and their whereabouts and sought police assistance. An officer attended that afternoon and found the vehicle had left.
The public is reminded to notify police of suspicious people, vehicles and activity in a timely manner to ensure a prompt response.